Chicago scientists open Egyptian mummy coffin
Scientists at the Field Museum in Chicago have opened the coffin of a 2,500-year-old Egyptian mummy to perform conservation work before it becomes part of a traveling exhibition.
The mummy, named Minirdis, was a 14-year-old boy who was the son of a priest. Scientists say they have to fix his burial mask and shroud, and reconnect his detached feet. They also have to do work this week to shore up the coffin and mummy so they can withstand travel.
The Field Museum is curating and touring the exhibition, "Mummies: Images of the Afterlife," starting in September. It has had the Minirdis mummy since the 1920s, when it received him from the Chicago Historical Society. The museum has 30 complete human mummies from Egypt.
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